Butternut Squash Ravioli with a roasted red pepper alfredo cream sauce – all you need are some fresh lasagne sheets for easy homemade ravioli in seconds!
Ingredients in butternut squash ravioli
This may not be the easiest or quickest recipe, but if you're like me and thrive in the kitchen, then you have to try this Butternut Squash Ravioli and its delectably luxurious Roasted Red Pepper Cream Sauce. Your tastebuds will thank you. It's a project, but a fun one worth pursuing!
Here's everything you need to make it:
- chopped butternut squash
- vegetable broth
- red onion
- garlic
- mixed mushrooms
- dry white wine
- kale
- parmesan cheese
- fresh lasagne sheets or wonton wrappers
How to make butternut squash ravioli
Making the ravioli itself was kind of tricky, but it was fairly easy to make using store bought fresh lasagne sheets. I got some tips and tricks from this handy Youtube tutorial.
The only notes I would add is that I found it helpful to use a floured surface, and also use the flour itself to make the the sheets stick together with a bit of extra water.
I also found that you have to get the lasagne sheets really wet and pliable with hot water, running them under the tap for about 20-30 seconds until you can mold them and they become stickier.
After a few hiccups and some practice I got the hang of it! You'll basically cut each sheet in three sections, then fold each segment over and press down to get rid of air bubbles where filling is. You can u se a fork if necessary to press the pasta down to stick.
Also, be sure to leave your lasagne sheets in the fridge until you need them so they don't dry out.
Making the red pepper cream sauce
I serve this butternut squash ravioli in a delectable red pepper cream sauce – you don't have to make the sauce and can just enjoy the ravioli on its on with a little bit of brown butter and sage, but if you feel like going all out, be sure to try thiscream sauce. Here's how to make it below (and just a tip: you can use it in so many other pasta recipes!)
- Roast 2 red peppers in the oven for 30 min.
- Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a medium-sized pot and add garlic and butter. Once butter is melted, add flour, then whisk in cream and cheese. Simmer sauce for 4-5 min.
- Add roasted red peppers to the sauce, then blend using an immersion blender or put the sauce in a blender until smooth. Serve and enjoy!
Making the ravioli ahead of time
You can make the ravioli ahead of time and store different components for later if you're hoping to make this recipe ahead of time. Here's what you can prep in advance if you're trying to get ahead:
Ravioli – you can make the raviolis and cook them up to 2 days in advance so all you need to do is reheat in a frying pan with the red pepper sauce when ready to serve.
Red pepper sauce – you can make the red pepper sauce up to 3 days in advance before serving. You can also store this sauce in the freezer for future use.
Filling – You can make the filling up to 3 days in advance or you can make the filling in advance and freeze it. From there, all you need to do is add the filling to your lasagne sheets and you have fresh ravioli ready to go!
Ingredient substitutions
This may not be the best recipe in terms of calories, but at least you'll get all your veggies in with this delicious filling, and even in the red pepper cream sauce too!
If you'd like to make substitutions or don't have all the ingredients on hand though, I've listed some sub ins below.
Pasta – Instead of the pasta, you can also use wonton wrappers. It won't be exactly the same as using fresh pasta, but in all honesty it is an easier and faster process to use wonton wrappers as they stick together easier, and you won't need to use extra flour to get them to stick.
Cream sauce – Instead of heavy cream, you can use 2% milk instead. You will need to use 1 tbsp flour though instead of 1 tsp flour if using milk instead.
Filling – You can use just about any veggies you want in the filling, really. Instead of sauteeing squash, you can even used canned pumpkin as that will give a similar flavour and pair well with the other veggies in the filling. Feel free to get creative with the veggies you use. You can also just use butternut squash alone in the filling, but make sure to season it with salt & pepper and triple the amount you're using.
Storing and reheating the leftovers
I had some leftover filling once I was finished making the ravioli, but in this case I only made 4 servings instead of the 10 servings that this recipe advises. The reason the serving count is so high is because you can only use a tiny bit of filling per ravioli, so the amount of ingredients you need to purchase will automatically leave you with leftovers unless you make a lot of servings. The lasagne sheets alone come with about 20 in a package, and each sheet will be cut to make 3 raviolis, so you're looking at 60 ravioli to make, and 6 raviolis per person is perfect for a serving since they are very large in size.
You can store leftover filling in the fridge to use for another dinner if you don't feel like making 60 raviolis at once though. don't worry! This filling would taste delicious in another pasta or as a side with some rice and baked chicken – there are so many ways to repurpose it and it will last in the fridge up to 5 days.
You can also store cooked ravioli itself in the fridge up to 5 days and reheat in the microwave with a bit of water sprinkled overtop, or with some butter in a pan on the stove. The red pepper cream sauce will last in the fridge up to 5 days as well. I don't recommend assembling the ravioli then storing the fridge before boiling. It's best to boil right away and store the leftover ravioli, otherwise the fresh pasta will dry out and crack.
Freezing the ravioli
You can also freeze the cooked ravioli, and freeze the ravioli filling! If freezing the filling, store in a glass container up to 3 months. You can also store the leftover cooked ravioli in a freezer bag, making one layer of ravioli to lay flat and adding more raviolis on top in between layers of parchment or wax paper so they don't stick.
You can reheat from frozen by microwaving with a bit of water overtop for 4-5 minutes, assessing ravioli halfway through.
More butternut squash recipes
If you're looking for more butternut squash recipes, I've got you covered with these favourites of mine! Check them out below:
Tools for preparing butternut squash
- A Y shaped vegetable peeler is the best way to peel squash
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on turning this ravioli into your weekly lunches.
- Freeze cut up squash in glass microwave-safe bowls with lids up to 3 months
Meal prep challenge
If you'd like some more help with meal planning, then you'll love my free 5-day meal prep challenge! It's basically a free course that will teach you how to meal prep and cook healthy meals at home with some PDF bonus materials. Sign up for free below:
Butternut Squash Ravioli in a Red Pepper Cream Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 package store bought fresh lasagne sheets
Ravioli Filling
- 1 tbsp olive oil divided
- 1 cup chopped butternut squash
- 1/2 red onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup mixed mushrooms
- 1 tbsp dry white wine optional
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 cup kale chopped
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
Red Pepper Alfredo
- 2 red peppers, roasted
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 2 tsp flour
- 3/4 cup cream
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
Instructions
For filling:
- Cut butternut squash into 1/2-inch pieces and sauté with olive oil for 10 minutes.
- Add red onion, mushrooms and garlic, cooking until mushrooms release juices, about 5-6 min. Add wine, salt and pepper and cook for another 2 min. Add kale and parmesan cheese, stirring well and removing from heat.
For ravioli:
- Run lasagne sheets under hot water one at a time for 20-30 seconds until pliable. Place wet sheet on a floured surface.
- Cut sheet in three.Add about 1-2 tsp of filling to lasagne sheet, and sprinkle some flour on the wet lasagne sheet to make it sticky.
- Fold each segment over and press down to get rid of air bubbles where filling is. Use a fork if necessary to press pasta down to stick.
- Once you have all your raviolis (I recommend about 4-5 raviolis per person, they are pretty big!), drop them each delicately into a large pot of boiling water and cook for about 2 minutes until ravioli floats to the top and the pasta is al dente.
- Serve ravioli with red pepper cream sauce, and garnish with parmesan cheese, fresh basil and salt & pepper. Ravioli also freezes well up to 3 months once cooked.
For sauce:
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Slice peppers in half, getting rid of seeds and white pith. Drizzle with about 1 tbsp of olive oil, then cook in oven for 30 min. Remove and set aside.
- Heat olive oil in pan and once hot, add garlic and butter. Once butter is melted, add flour, then whisk in cream and cheese slowly. Add salt and pepper, and then simmer sauce for 4-5 min on low.
- Add red peppers, then mix together in a blender or Magic Bullet to puree the red pepper and create a smooth, creamy sauce. Serve overtop of butternut squash ravioli and enjoy!
Nutrition
Kirsten says
Taylor,
What a pretty pasta! I never thought to use fresh lasagne noodles for ravioli–I’ve tried won ton wrappers, but this looks even better.
As I’ve got plenty of farm share squash, I’d go for the filling!
Thanks!
Taylor Stinson says
Thanks Kirsten!! See I’ve never thought of using wonton wrappers for ravioli, so it looks like we just taught each other a new trick! 😉
Natasha says
I tried to make ravioli completely from scratch once, and let’s just say that it didn’t go so well. I love the idea of these lasagne sheets. This looks so tempting… that sauce… drooool. Better than the lunch I just had at my desk, that’s for sure! 🙂
Taylor Stinson says
Oh yeah, lasagne sheets actually work wonders! But it’s still a time consuming process. I mean, it’s a fun project and I’m glad I made this recipe but it’s definitely a once-a-year type of thing, like lasagna haha! Thanks Natasha! 🙂
Lou Ellen says
I did not make the ravioli, but I did make the Red Pepper Cream Sauce. I had a 16 oz jar of roasted red peppers so I used them instead of roasting fresh bell peppers. I drained the jar and ran the peppers through my food processor before adding to the sauce. The sauce was great and so quick and easy!
Taylor Stinson says
So glad to hear that!!! This sauce is one of my favourites for sure – and what a great shortcut, using jarred roasted red peppers! I’ll have to try that!
Rachel says
This recipe looks wonderful! A bit confused though as the ingredients list chicken or vegetable broth but it doesn’t appear to be used in the recipe. And when making the filling, you said to add lemon juice but it’s not listed in the ingredients! Excited to try this, though! I am always looking for new ways to utilize butternut squash.
Taylor Stinson says
So sorry for any confusion Rachel – there is no vegetable/chicken broth and no lemon juice. This is one of my very first recipes that I updated sometime last year. Looks like I forgot to update the instructions. I have done so now. Let me know if you try it!
Rachel says
Oh okay! I made it anyways and omitted both and the filling was WONDERFUL and the sauce was so easy and so good! I have some filling left since I didn’t use it all when making the raviolis but I may make the sauce again and just mix the filling together with some other noodles with the sauce. It was all great!
Taylor Stinson says
I’m so happy you enjoyed it! It’s one of my faves too 🙂
Chloe says
Whoever wrote this recipe is lazy. There are no measurements! Can you at least give an idea of how much ingredients to use??
Taylor Stinson says
Hi Chloe – the full recipe with ingredient amounts can be found at the bottom of the page. There is a jump to recipe button that will take you there if you are too lazy to scroll.
Shelby says
The sauce recipe is fabulous. We had store-bought butternut squash ravioli and was looking for a non-traditional sauce (without all the brown sugar and cinnamon) and came across this sauce with roasted red peppers. It complements the ravioli so well and we did not miss going out to a restaurant. I could imagine this sauce would also work well with a shrimp pasta. Thank you for this recipe, it’s a keeper.